Thursday, October 13, 2011
‘Tito victim of latest Sox smear campaign’
Gordon Edes has a completely different take on the Sox painkiller-booze scandal.
And watch the Nomar interview while you’re at it (within the same link). Nomar: “I think people just now are starting to recognize, ‘Ok, there’s a pattern here. All of a sudden it becomes personal.’” And then he lists all the past hit-job targets under current ownership – Francona, Ortiz, Damon, Pedro, Lowe, Manny, himself, etc. He even goes back to Mo and Clemens and Yaz and Williams. But, for our purposes, the current ownership is the issue. No one is quite saying it, but all fingers are pointing in the direction of Lucchino and Henry. They’re the only ones left, unless you count Werner, and I don't.
Update -- From Reader AM:
Update II -- David Ortiz says he wouldn’t mind playing for the Yankees: “I don't know if I want to be part of this drama for next year.” ... Now watch for a resumption of the smear campaign against him.
Gordon Edes has a completely different take on the Sox painkiller-booze scandal.
And watch the Nomar interview while you’re at it (within the same link). Nomar: “I think people just now are starting to recognize, ‘Ok, there’s a pattern here. All of a sudden it becomes personal.’” And then he lists all the past hit-job targets under current ownership – Francona, Ortiz, Damon, Pedro, Lowe, Manny, himself, etc. He even goes back to Mo and Clemens and Yaz and Williams. But, for our purposes, the current ownership is the issue. No one is quite saying it, but all fingers are pointing in the direction of Lucchino and Henry. They’re the only ones left, unless you count Werner, and I don't.
Update -- From Reader AM:
I think Edes is right, and so's Nomar -- maybe not all the way back to Yaz and Williams, but at least in noting the similarity of the current (remaining) front office's behavior to that of Dan Duquette. As Duquette learned, vilifying everyone on their way out can work for a while, but then it all catches up with you.
As for "John Henry taking a stronger hand" (widely reported) -- well, yeah, I'd think so. The decisions the Sox face over the next five months involve putting hundreds of millions of his dollars at very high risk, one way or another.
They've put together a team that is much less than the sum of its parts, not in terms of character but in terms of distribution of resources. In 2011 they did not have a starting pitcher who ranked in the top 50 in innings pitched, or a corner outfielder who played well enough to be a major league starter, which is not much to show for $100 million. And because their "young" players are 27-28-29, they have to win now (expensive even to try; no guarantees) or really rebuild (which will trash their attendance and business model). Too bad Theo couldn't take the team with him to the NL Central.
Update II -- David Ortiz says he wouldn’t mind playing for the Yankees: “I don't know if I want to be part of this drama for next year.” ... Now watch for a resumption of the smear campaign against him.
